Health status of miners in underground and open-pit mining of apatite ore

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Abstract

Introduction. The high level of occupational morbidity in apatite miners emphasizes the unresolved problem of maintaining their health throughout the entire period of their working activity.

Aim. To study the characteristics of the occupational health in miners of various occupations engaged in open-pit and underground apatite ore mining.

Material and methods. The following databases were examined: 1) the results of medical examination of nine hundred twenty one open-pit and 2649 underground apatite miners; 2) the register of occupational diseases of the Murmansk Regional Center for Occupational Pathology; 3) the register of occupational disease records (Order of the Ministry of Health of Russia dated May 28, 2001 No. 176) in 2008–2021.

Results. In 2008–2021 occupational morbidity in underground and open-pit apatite ore miners at the Khibiny deposits reached 208.62 and 170.95 cases/10,000 workers. The increased labour severity (60.7%) and hand-arm vibration (10.1%) were of greater etiological importance in underground miners, while whole-body vibration played a more important role in open-pit miners (33.5%). In the structure of pathology, open-pit miners had a larger share of vibration disease (χ2=24.7; p<0.001), and in underground miners – scapulo humeralis periarthrosis (χ2=12.5; p<0.001), epicondylosis (χ2=7, 44; p=0.007), myofibrosis of the forearms (χ2=12.3; p<0.001), deforming osteoarthritis (χ2=7.58; p=0.006). Occupational diseases developed most often in drifters, underground mine drillers, and open-pit excavator operators: 40.8%, 39.1% and 35.1% of workers. The maximum incidence rate was found among drillers, while the minimum rate was in underground repairmen: 738.92 and 19.62 cases/10,000 workers.

Limitations. The number of observations in some groups of specialists is insufficient for statistical processing.

Conclusion. The new data obtained show that updated health-building measures should take into account the method of apatite ore mining and the specialty of the miners.

Keywords: apatite ore mining; working conditions; miners’ health; occupational diseases; Kola Peninsula

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved by the local committee of Northwest Public Health Research Center (dated May 12, 2021, protocol No. 35.5). Due to the absence of personal data in the study materials, informed voluntary consent to their use is not required.

For citation: Syurin S.A. Health status of miners in underground and open-pit mining of apatite ore. Gigiena i Sanitariya / Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian journal. 2025; 104(1): 37–44. https://doi.org/10.47470/0016-9900-2025-104-1-37-44 https://elibrary.ru/dapgxk (In Russ.)

For correspondence: Sergei A. Syurin, e-mail: kola.reslab@mail.ru

Conflict of interest. The author declares no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: February 28, 2024 / Revised: June 17, 2024 / Accepted: June 19, 2024 / Published: January 31, 2025

About the authors

Sergei A. Syurin

Northwest Public Health Research Center

Author for correspondence.
Email: kola.reslab@mail.ru

Dsc (Medicine), Chief Researcher of the Department of Social and Hygienic Analysis and Monitoring, Northwest Public Health Research Center, Saint-Petersburg, 191036, Russian Federation

e-mail: kola.reslab@mail.ru

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